RAYMOND, MT — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the reduction of operational hours from 24 hours per day to 16 hours per day at the Raymond, MT port of entry (POE), effective Dec. 27.

The new hours will be from 8:00 a.m. to midnight, seven days per week. The port will close at midnight on Saturday, Dec. 26 and reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27.

The Port of Raymond will maintain its designation as a commercial port of entry.

The Port of Raymond is south of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Port of Regway in Saskatchewan, five miles north of Plentywood, MT and 162 kilometers south of Regina, SK.

CBP said it evaluated potential security implications, total annual operating costs, average annual crossing for commercial and passenger vehicles, and proximity to alternate ports of entry.

Following the assessment, it determined the most appropriate course of action was to reduce the port hours, including that traffic levels at Raymond drop considerably after midnight.

During the 2015 fiscal year that ended Oct. 1, 1,238 commercial and passenger vehicles crossed during the midnight shift, an average of 3.39 vehicles during the shift.

For the 2014, fiscal year 1,096 commercial and passenger vehicles crossed during the midnight shift, an average of 3.00 vehicles during the shift.

The nearest port that will be open 24 hours a day following this change will be the Portal, ND POE, 92 miles to the east, followed by the Sweetgrass, MT POE, 335 miles to the west, according to CBP.